---
type: source
title: "Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice"
source_type: book
authors:
  - "[[D. R. J. Owen]]"
  - "[[E. Hinton]]"
created: 2026-06-02
updated: 2026-06-02
address: c-000129
aliases:
  - Finite Elements in Plasticity
  - Finite Elements in Plasticity Theory and Practice
tags:
  - source
  - finite-element-method
  - plasticity
  - nonlinear-analysis
status: current
confidence: high
raw_path: ".raw/FiniteElementsinPlasticityTheoryandPractice/"
source_files:
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related:
  - "[[D. R. J. Owen]]"
  - "[[E. Hinton]]"
  - "[[Finite Element Plasticity]]"
  - "[[Incremental Elasto-Plastic Solution Methods]]"
  - "[[Plasticity Yield Criteria]]"
  - "[[Plastic Flow Rules and Hardening]]"
  - "[[Elasto-Viscoplastic Finite Element Analysis]]"
  - "[[Elasto-Plastic Timoshenko Beam Analysis]]"
  - "[[Elasto-Plastic Mindlin Plate Analysis]]"
  - "[[Transient Dynamic Elasto-Plastic Analysis]]"
  - "[[Finite Element Plasticity Program Architecture]]"
  - "[[Plasticity Benchmark and Input Data Cases]]"
---

# Finite Elements in Plasticity: Theory and Practice

## Summary

This book by [[D. R. J. Owen]] and [[E. Hinton]] presents finite element techniques for material plasticity. It covers quasi-static incremental elasto-plastic analysis, elasto-viscoplastic analysis, beam and plate plasticity, two-dimensional continuum plasticity, and transient dynamic elasto-plastic analysis.

For this wiki, the source fills the theory-and-implementation gap between general [[Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis]] and production material pages such as [[Abaqus Metal Plasticity Models]] and [[Abaqus Geomaterial and Concrete Plasticity]]. It is especially useful for building a custom solver because it treats plasticity as an algorithmic finite element workflow: load/time increments, element integration, yield checks, flow rules, hardening variables, tangent or initial stiffness iterations, program modules, and benchmark-style input data.

## Scope

The source is organized in three parts:

- One-dimensional nonlinear problems, elasto-viscoplasticity, and elasto-plastic Timoshenko beam analysis.
- Two-dimensional elasto-plastic and elasto-viscoplastic continuum analysis, including Tresca, von Mises, Mohr-Coulomb, and Drucker-Prager yield criteria.
- Elasto-plastic Mindlin plate bending and transient dynamic elasto-plastic analysis using explicit, implicit, and mixed implicit-explicit schemes.

## Extracted Threads

- [[Finite Element Plasticity]] - the overall finite element treatment of irreversible material behavior.
- [[Incremental Elasto-Plastic Solution Methods]] - direct iteration, Newton-Raphson, tangential stiffness, and initial stiffness workflows.
- [[Plasticity Yield Criteria]] - Tresca, von Mises, Mohr-Coulomb, and Drucker-Prager yield surfaces.
- [[Plastic Flow Rules and Hardening]] - associated and non-associated flow, isotropic and kinematic hardening, and yield surface evolution.
- [[Elasto-Viscoplastic Finite Element Analysis]] - rate-dependent plastic response and time-stepping interpretation.
- [[Elasto-Plastic Timoshenko Beam Analysis]] - beam bending plasticity with shear deformation.
- [[Elasto-Plastic Mindlin Plate Analysis]] - layered and nonlayered plate plastification through thickness.
- [[Transient Dynamic Elasto-Plastic Analysis]] - inertia, geometric deformation, and plastic material state in dynamic FE analysis.
- [[Finite Element Plasticity Program Architecture]] - modular program structure for plasticity finite element codes.
- [[Plasticity Benchmark and Input Data Cases]] - appendices and program cases useful for verification harness design.

## Connections

The source complements [[Finite Element Procedures]] by specializing the nonlinear solution workflow for plasticity. It complements [[Abaqus Theory Manual]] and [[Abaqus Constitutive Integration]] by giving a programming-oriented path from yield criteria and flow rules to element routines and global iteration. It complements [[Abaqus-Analysis-User-s-Guide-Volume-III|Abaqus Analysis User's Guide Volume III]] by explaining the finite element mechanics behind many metal and geomaterial plasticity model choices.

## Source Files

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